Four chaplains of WWII honored

On sinking ship, they gave away their life jackets

February 16, 2009|BY JOHN HOLLAND STAFF WRITER

HOLLYWOOD — They stood at attention in the hot sun to honor four men they never knew and an act of courage they hope is never forgotten.

Sixty-six years have passed since four U.S. Army chaplains - a Catholic priest, a rabbi and two Protestant pastors - gave their lives trying to save soldiers and Marines aboard the USAT Dorchester. But the memorials continue nationwide, including the one Sunday in John U. Lloyd Beach State Park.

A German submarine struck the transport ship in the icy North Atlantic waters off Greenland on Feb. 3, 1943, sinking the vessel with its 902 passengers and crew in just 27 minutes.

As hundreds of young soldiers panicked and raced for lifeboats and vests, Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Father John P. Washington and the Revs. George L. Fox and Clark V. Poling stayed aboard, handing out life vests and providing calming voices in the hysteria. When no more vests remained, the chaplains - all lieutenants - removed their own and passed them along, sealing their deaths but creating an enduring legacy.

Crews of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Comanch and Escanaba scrambled for survivors but, in the end, 672 people were killed, many frozen to death clinging to the oars of crowded lifeboats.

"Those four chaplains assured themselves a seat in heaven, that's for sure," said Patrick Campbell, 80, of Pompano Beach, who was a Marine corporal in the final days of World War II. He served on the honor guard Sunday, shifting his feet under the bright sun during the 60-minute ceremony but never easing up. "It was a selfless act, and that's why we're all here."

The gathering at the U.S. Coast Guard Station was one of dozens around the country.

In 1943, the chaplains quickly became national heroes, particularly as some of the 230 survivors recounted seeing the four on the bow, holding hands and praying for the troops as the ship sank into the water. Survivor after survivor had similar tales of the four men. All four were awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross and, in 1948, the U.S. Post Office Department issued a stamp in their honor.

Sunday's event was sponsored by the American Legion, 9th District, out of Broward County, with a reception afterward at Post 304 in Dania Beach.

"Any time you have people giving up their lives to save others, it's always special," said John Vasquez, of Dania Beach, who serves as the commander of the guard. "It's days like this that remind us not only of their heroics, but the men and women fighting for all of us in Iraq and Afghanistan today."

John Holland can be reached at jholland@sunsentinel.com or at 954-356-4516.